The artist Ayako Rokkaku (1982) made this statement in an interview at the Geisai
art market in 2006 where she participated with here own stand. Kaikai Kiki,
the company of the renowned Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami launched the
Geisai art market to support cutting edge upcoming Japanese artists. Rokkaku
has won the Scout Prize at Geisai # 4 and the prestigious Akio Goto Prize at
Geisai # 9. Geisai invited high profile industry experts such as Francois Pinault,
owner of auction house Christie's, and the architect Tadao Ando who both took
part of the panel of judges for the ninth edition of the art market. Artist
Yoshimoto Nara and David Ellis formed a jury panel in earlier editions of Geisai.

Ayako Rokkaku lives in Chiba-ken, a town situated in the 'greater Tokyo' area.
Rokkaku never attended art school, here technique is self taught. She started
to paint in 2002 and has exhibited at many art fairs in Japan. About these participations
at fairs and other events in her daily life Rokkaku keeps a web log. Keeping
such a dairy on the internet gives the viewer the unique opportunity to peek
inside the private 'girly' mind of a young Japanese artist; Rokkaku's favourite
food are chocolate chip cookies, her favourite occupation is daydreaming.

Rokkaku has mastered her own painting technique. She applies the acrylic paint
on the cardboard sheets with here bare hands. The adolescent children, the main
subject in her work, are mostly illustrated from close-up. The long arms and
big eyes are made in the style of Japanese Anime (Japanese for animation) which
is emphasized by the use of bright colours and simple details. Rokkaku does
not place the children in front of a background, which is not very obvious at
a first glance since the figures are portrayed in various poses; sitting, running,
lying. It is this innocent portrait of dynamic refrained from details that form
the essence of Rokkaku's work. The power of her direct approach to the canvas
is optimal manifested in her 'performance paintings' which she creates live
at art fairs, as an audience of such a happening we get the chance to be part
of her world.

Ayako Rokkaku will participate at Art Taipei and pAn Amsterdam in 2008.